In advertising, it's not enough to have witty copy and a wonderful product. Companies with the most successful brands are those that imbue their products with a sense of personality by maintaining a consistent feel and tone of voice in their advertisements. A brand's tone of voice performs several crucial functions when it comes to compelling a customer to buy a product.

Personality

The most important aspect of tone of voice is that it gives a product or company a personality. Most consumers are more likely to receive an appeal from a friend or acquaintance than a giant, faceless company. In essence, the proper use of tone of voice in advertising lends a company a face; if customers feel a personal connection to the personality of a brand, they are more likely to be receptive to the message delivered.

Emotional Appeal

By using tone of voice to imbue a brand or product with a personality, a company can communicate certain values. For instance, a brand's marketing strategy might involve developing a personality that is cool, popular, helpful, compassionate or level-headed. When consumers sense an aspect of a brand's personality that they see or desire in their own personality, the connection resonates emotionally. This emotional response may compel customers to buy the brand's products even when logic or financial considerations might otherwise hold them back.

Targeted Tone

To communicate a tone and feel that convinces customers to buy products or services, it is crucial that a company accurately targets a certain demographic of consumers. For example, a company targeting teen-agers may purposely use slang and communicate a sense of coolness or indifference to authority. That approach would not work well, however, if a company targets young mothers; in that case, the company may use a tone of voice that suggests competence and caring.

Consistency

In addition to being targeted, the tone and feel of an advertising campaign or brand's marketing strategy must be consistent from advertisement to advertisement and across different forms of media. If consumers see a company communicate certain values in a television commercial but opposite values on a social networking website, they are likely to consider that company untrustworthy, just as they would a person who acts inconsistently.